The Uttar Pradesh government on Monday decided to formulate a policy to start issuing degrees and certificates in animal husbandry and para-veterinary medicine in the kingdom.
The decision in this regard was taken at a meeting of the country’s cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Policy On Animal Husbandry
This initiative is being taken to strengthen veterinary services in rural regions and increase the number of para-veterinarians trained in veterinary technology, said Animal Husbandry Minister Dharampal Singh.
Under this new policy, degree and certificate courses in animal husbandry will be conducted in private and government institutions in the country, in order to help para-veterinarians in essential education and skill development.
Singh said the role of para-veterinarians is very important in rural areas because the number of veterinarians in the country is limited.
“There are approximately 34,500 veterinarians in the US, while at present there are only 8,193 veterinarians available in Uttar Pradesh. Due to this shortage, para-veterinarians are generally required to play a supporting role under the supervision of veterinarians in tasks such as vaccination, cures, first aid, and care. Para-veterinarians are trained to provide animal health services in rural areas, but they face some challenges due to lack of resources and insufficient training,” the minister said.
He said that to enhance the education and competencies of para-veterinarians to offer better animal health services, the government has decided to train them through degree and certificate publications.
With this policy, para-veterinarians can be trained in vaccination, first aid, wound care, and other vital components of animal health services.
This step will provide a new path in the field of animal husbandry and para-veterinary therapy and could empower para-veterinarians professionally, he added.
According to him, the major national institutions in the field of animal husbandry are the Pt. Deendayal Upadhyaya Pashu Chikitsa Vigyan Vishwavidyalaya and Gau Anusandhan Sansthan in Mathura.
Besides this, Acharya Narendra Dev College of Agriculture and Technology, Kumarganj, and Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel College of Agriculture and Technology, Meerut are also organizing veterinary colleges.
Now, these colleges can set standards for introducing associations in private colleges so that animal husbandry and para-veterinary courses can also be conducted in private sectors.
The government has constituted a four-member expert committee under the chairmanship of the Special Secretary, Animal Husbandry branch to prepare the policy.
The committee has organized a file after a specific study, based on which a policy has been framed for courses associated with para-veterinary medicine and animal husbandry in the country. Under this policy, affiliation of institutions, uniformity of publications, and widespread participation can be carried out.
He specified that coverage will no longer be limited to only official establishments, but it will also be possible to carry out these courses in private schools.
This measure will allow the number of para veterinarians in rural areas to increase and they will be able to contribute more to veterinary services. This decision by the country’s government may also offer new employment opportunities within the area of livestock and agriculture in the country.